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The Reluctant Dark Knight/Part 13
Please note that only Numbuh 404 may edit this page. Mental Shackles and Meddlesome Smurfs “He went this way, I think,” Peewit shouted over his shoulder. He pointed ahead and added, “We’re close to the Smurfs, so maybe we should ask them if they saw him!” He kicked Biquette and told her to pick up the pace, which she did with a profound bleat, while Falla stayed on his trail. There were Smurfberry bushes on each side of the pathway, and the sun was half down in the sky – she judged it was between the fourth or fifth hour of the afternoon and relayed it to her companion. “Where’d he say he was going again?” he asked. As she replied, he commanded his goat to slow since they were near the Smurf Village at last. “He just told me ‘Later, Falla – I promise’, and then he rode off without so much as a second glance,” she explained, adding, “the naive,” under her breath. “It’s one thing to say ‘it’s a secret’ and wink, but no! First he snaps at me for badgering ''him, then he leaves the castle in a hurry, and now I’m stuck with you trying to keep him pinned in one place for a simple explanation!” For a minute there was silence, and then she glanced at him and was taken aback by the glimmer of offense in his eyes. “Oh – no, Peewit, I didn’t mean that as a bad thing,” she started to say, “You know I adore you dearly. I’m just so frustrated with him…” She sighed, pulling Gentile’s reins to reduce her speed to a steady trot, and then continued. “And I’m dreadfully worried about Johan. You know I care greatly for him too, and he’s not acting like himself.” She shrugged and kept her head down, waiting for any sort of response – she expected him to tell her off, but he didn’t. “I know how you feel, Falla,” he assured her, “I see Johan as a big brother and worry about him sometimes, too. But if I know him, I’d say he’s keeping a secret to protect us.” She gave it a second thought and agreed, so he smiled slightly and stopped to look around. “Papa Smurf! It’s Peewit and Falla! Papa Smurf, where are you?” he shouted a few times. After a minute, Papa and Brainy appeared from behind a tree and walked up to them. “Hi, Smurfs,” Falla said. They returned the greeting and asked what they were doing, so she simply stated they were looking for Johan and hoped they might have seen him. The elder Smurf’s smile vanished with a sigh and he said, “I was afraid you would come for him…” Falla and Peewit exchanged glances and wondered if something was the matter, so Papa added, “He was in the village a short time ago and had urgent business to smurf with someone else.” “He left moments ago, to be specific, and quite clearly stated for us not to tell you where he was going because then you might upset his plans to see –” “Brainy!” Papa interjected. Brainy ducked his head and sheepishly grinned, assuring him, “I was just making sure they understood the importance of not disturbing him was all, Papa Smurf.” “Wait – if he was just here, then maybe we can catch him,” Peewit told Falla with renewed hope. She nodded and signaled for Gentile to start moving again, and her little companion followed her eagerly; they ignored the Smurfs’ warnings and located some fresh horse tracks up ahead. Then, they set off in a strong gallop, determined to catch up and extract a few answers from Johan. Before they were out of sight, however, Papa leapt onto the horse’s tail and Brainy clung to Biquette. In one-handed sign language, he told his little Smurf to hold on tight, which he agreed to do. With that, they stowed away and kept quiet. Minutes later, Falla finally leaned forward and narrowed her eyes, spotting someone ahead of them on horseback. For a minute they were hard to make out, but then the rider turned their head to the side and she recognized him. “There he is, Peewit!” she exclaimed, “He’s just up ahead. Faster, Gentile!” She patted the mare’s neck and snapped the reins while the boy behind her commanded his goat to keep up. At that point, Papa told Brainy, “Now,” and they climbed up the tails of the animals, keeping out of the humans’ sight as they made their way to the ears. Brainy reached Biquette’s first and whispered something that she could understand – “But wait for my mark!” Likewise, Papa did the same with Gentile. Then they lie low, waiting for the opportunity to come. Falla closed in on the knight quickly, but just as she was about to catch his attention, Papa Smurf shouted, “Now,” and her horse turned sharply to the right and neighed as if she were in distress. Her rider tried to regain control, but it was no use, so she bailed from the saddle and landed on the ground with a minor stumble. Right behind her, Biquette bucked Peewit off and he flew through the air right at her. She caught him and shot a glance to Johan who – by now – had heard the commotion and realized they were trailing him. He gasped and hurriedly escaped their range of sight, disappearing through the dense trees ahead while she set Peewit down. She sprinted after him for a minute or two – until she ran out of energy – and yelled his name a few times. When it was obvious he was gone, she shook her fists and stormed back to Peewit, cursing while he was out of earshot. “That was weird,” Peewit admitted. He persuaded Biquette to return to him. “I thought we had him for sure.” “Of all the rotten luck!” she barked angrily, grabbing Gentile’s stirrups with a firm tug. She quickly mounted and added, “Well, I’m not giving up yet – not by a longshot!” Immediately, she was travelling full-speed ahead and unintentionally left Peewit in the dust; he simply hopped onto the goat’s back and tried to catch up, reminding himself not to take it to heart. Watching from the sidelines, too, the Smurfs exchanged worried glances. “Brainy, you held onto that transportation potion I smurfed, right?” “Of course, Papa Smurf,” he reassured him, pulling a red bottle out from behind his back, “I kept it safe, just like you smurfed me to.” Papa uncorked it and told him, “We have to beat them to Gargamel’s hovel before they give our plans away,” before taking a sip. He gave it back and let his assistant have some as well, and in moments they were magically teleported to their destination. Meanwhile, Johan glanced over his shoulder and sighed with relief. "I think we lost them, Bayard." After saying that aloud, he realized just how terrible it was – knowing he was running from his best friends as if he were a wanted criminal – but blocked the thought out of his mind. He reminded himself that if he didn’t go through with Papa Smurf’s plan, he would soon ''become a wanted criminal. Smurfette poked her head out from the side of his knapsack. “Are you sure this will work, Johan?” she asked. He looked at her, worriedly for a second, and said, “I trust Papa Smurf, so yes.” With that, she slunk back down and he drew in a deep breath as they exited the woods. There ahead of them, maybe several hundred feet away, was the despicable hovel and Gargamel waiting in the doorway. A flashback of his nightmare made him hesitate to dismount; he feared the ground really would collapse under his feet, but it was absurd, so he hopped off and led Bayard along the dusty pathway. He slung his knapsack over his shoulder and approached the old wizard, standing as confidently as he could despite the frown tracing his lips. “It’s nearly sunset, my boy,” Gargamel said with a sly grin, “Did you bring me six Smurfs?” “I did just as you asked,” he replied, taking note of the lowering sun, and unbuckled the bag. Inside were six Smurfs, who all turned their heads up to see them, but they were mute. “I held up my end of the deal, so now you hold up yours.” Gargamel reached for the sack, but he pulled it away, adding, “I want the antidote first.” His elder frowned as he reached into his pocket and presented a tiny vial of purple liquid in his hand. The knight held his carrier in one hand outstretched, so he took hold of it and proceeded to wrench it from him, but his grip was overpowered. Johan took the vial in his other hand and let go of the bag, stepping away from him and avoided eye contact. He inspected the elixir while the wizard examined the Smurfs. "...Four, five, six – perfect! Just enough to make gold!" Johan cringed hearing those words and simply said, “I hope you get what you deserve, Gargamel.” Suddenly, they heard galloping hooves and he turned around, shocked at the sight of his friends. “Falla, Peewit, what are you doing here?” he queried. The girl jumped in front of him and grabbed his collar. “Start talking, Johan,” she demanded in a low voice. He shut his mouth and struggled against her, so she unleashed her fury and pinned him to the ground. He dropped the vial in the grass and bit his lip. The fragile thing shattered and a stream of its contents sank into the earth; his eyes widened at the sight. Behind him, Biquette bleated and bonked Gargamel with her horns as Peewit exclaimed, “Take that, you treacherous villain!” “Release me, Falla! That was the antidote – the antidote!” he pleaded. She looked around and lifted her hands off of him; he wiped the side of his face to remove the dirt and got to his knees, staring at the broken glass with disbelief. He caught a glimpse of the sun and froze – it was halfway beyond the horizon line. "I'm running out of time," he whispered half to himself, half to her. Scruple rushed outside and chased away the pint-sized jester. Then he saw the young lady and yanked her ponytail to keep her away from the knight. She yelped and reached over her head, digging her fingernails into his arms. She twisted her body and stood on one knee and foot, swiftly tossing him aside, right over Johan. He ducked just in time to miss the collision. “You’re too late,” the boy mumbled as he sat up on his elbows. They stood up and looked at him as he spit up a few shoots of grass and pointed to the sky. “See? The sun’s gone!” To their dismay, he was right – the horizon line was bright orange and red, but the great star had disappeared. Johan’s heart sank with it, and he heard Falla frantically whisper, “Forgive me” behind him. He started to say, “How could you?” but the moment he turned to see her, a dire pain began to consume him, starting in his chest: it was like having his heart squeezed by a mercilessly strong hand until it rendered him helpless. He clutched his shirt over the spot and collapsed to his knees, barely able to hold himself up with his free hand, and his body stiffened. He heard voices, but they were becoming distorted and distant as his mind gradually clouded into blank oblivion. Biting his lip and eyes firmly shut, the torture silently destroyed him. “Let him go! You can’t do this to us!” Peewit cried towards Gargamel. He whistled for his goat and added, “Biquette, sick ‘em! Give it to ‘em good!” She reared and bleated proudly, snorting when she started running, but just as she was about to ram the old wizard, he leapt from her path. She skidded on her hooves, but ultimately ended up crashing into the door. In the pile of broken wood and bolts, she let her head drop and wearily stayed down. Scruple brushed himself off and laughed at the sight, which infuriated the blonde boy. “Aww, pipe down, Pee-brain! It’s just an old goat running into an extremely old door,” he remarked snidely, “It’s not like it’s gonna do her in.” Then he sided with his master at his command. They watched their victim as Falla knelt down to assist him however she could hope. She put her hands on his shoulder and under his chin, cautiously guiding his face to hers. He no longer showed signs of being in agony, nor did he speak, so she bravely addressed him. “Johan,” she said softly, “Are you okay?” For a minute he didn’t answer, but didn’t resist letting her see his eyes. When she saw them, she knew right away that he was gone because they were dark red instead of burnt umber. He was unaltered aside from that, but she hesitated to speak or move. He broke the silence. "Help me up." She did so and held her hands behind her back while he brushed himself off. He glanced at her, taking a step forward with his hand outstretched and they heard a sharp crackling sound. He lifted his foot and saw broken glass and purple liquid under his shoe – Falla held her breath when he pulled one of the shards out and turned it over in his hand. Suddenly, he took her right hand and leisurely closed the space between her skin and the glass, letting it barely touch her while he asked, “How could you be so thoughtless?” Peewit approached them, but stopped abruptly when he was several feet away because of a harsh glance Johan gave him; it seemed to pierce into him. Then the knight returned his attention to the girl. “Well?” The seriousness of her frown as she held strict eye contact was a perfect match for his position of power. Her captive hand quivered as her heart beat faster, despite her best efforts, and she gradually turned her head away from him. Somehow it was becoming increasingly difficult for her to breathe while talking to a far scarier being than she was familiar with. He picked up on her distress and cracked a minuet side-smirk with a light chuckle. “Ignoring me now, are you?” he inquired, lightly pressing the glass against her wrist. "Don't hurt her, Johan!" Peewit cried. Johan gave him an expression of playful confusion and said, “Hurt her? Come now, why would I do that? All I want is for her to answer my question so I can judge whether or not –” he turned back to her as he finished, “– she’s worth hurting.” The jester bit his lip and held his hands close to his face, gravely concerned for his friends. He stifled his whimpering, hoping it would appease the knight’s unreadable mood. “You were acting suspiciously,” she began, standing her ground despite their tension. “I was angered when you fled and pushed you to the ground because I’d had enough of your insubordination.” Her voice was quiet – falling into a mumble on the last word. Johan eased the rest out of her, maintaining an oddly calm demeanor. "And?" "You dropped something." "Dropped what?" "...A small vial." "Was it important?" She nodded stiffly, never breaking eye contact now, and lifted her other arm little by little. Her heart pounded in her chest as he gazed into her eyes, making it impossible to be bold like she normally would be. “So you’re to blame for my misfortune?” he clarified, drawing her captive hand nearer to his chest. “Or does it fall to the Smurfs, seeming how they left me hanging by the noose?” “I didn’t mean to, Johan. You promised you would tell me later.” She wondered if he realized he wasn’t supposed to be evil or if he meant some other kind of misfortune, but whether it was wise to inquire was her struggle. Tightening her fist to grip his tunic, she added, “And you leave the Smurfs out of this – this is the result of your own undoing.” "My fault?" he retorted, leaning back slightly. "You were the one chasing me!" "You cowered from us like a child to the darkness!" "I have nothing to hide from the likes of you," he insisted, "but your intrusion was overbearing!" "Have you no sense of consequence?" She tugged at his collar again, and so his bitter frown returned. There was a moment of silence as they glared at one another, standing on opposing moral grounds, but both too proud to retreat. Then, his expression softened, and he smirked before prying her hand from his shirt. “Irrational, rambunctious, and unfairly fragile creatures women are,” he mused quietly, leaning forward to continue; he lowered his voice and fiddled with the shard between his fingers with ease. Her eyes darted from him to Peewit, and then back to him before she closed them. Her free hand tightened as her shoulder tensed up. “Tread not on a man or else he shall call upon his strength to crush the spirited heart of his woman.” Without warning, he dropped the glass and swung his foot under her legs to trip her; she gasped, but he grabbed her other wrist and let her hang a hair off the ground. She stared at him and her breath was caught in her throat as his smile warped into a devilish sly, and then swiftly jerked her back to her feet. “Oh, and you are forgiven,” he teased. Holding her forearms so look her in the eye, he added, “For now,” with a quick wink. Then, he pushed her into Peewit and turned to the awaiting wizard and apprentice as the jester was bowled over. She lifted him to his feet and rested her hands on his forearms, keeping his body turned towards her while the villains congratulated Johan.